1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and an image processing system in a network in which a plurality of devices, such as facsimile transmitters, having a function to receive an image transmission request is installed, and a storage medium storing a program for realizing the image processing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a client apparatus can transmit image data and destination data to a server apparatus, and the sever apparatus can transmit the image data to a destination designated by the destination data (e.g., a system discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-222635). There has also been developed a system in which a client apparatus or a server apparatus includes a multifunctional peripheral (MFP).
The MFP includes an address book function to register destinations. As a technique for issuing a processing request from the client apparatus to the server apparatus in the MFP, a request to refer to an address book has been realized.
FIG. 27 illustrates a configuration example of a conventional network system.
The network system includes a client apparatus 501, a server apparatus 502, and a plurality of facsimile (FAX) transmitters 511 and 512. The server apparatus 502 includes an address book 502a, and the client apparatus 501 can refer to the address book 502a of the server apparatus 502.
In general transmission, information of a transmission source indicating a place from which data has been transmitted is added as an image header, or transmitted as data compliant with a protocol. In view of transfer setting of images or distribution of document images carried out by a receiver based on the transmission source information, it is desired that a specified transmission source be always selected to transmit data to a specified destination.
However, the conventional system has the following disadvantages.
(1) For example, in the example illustrated in FIG. 27, an administrator registers a telephone number “01234” of a destination in the address book 502a while intending to transmit data from the FAX transmitter 512. Nevertheless, when the client apparatus 501 refers to the address book 502a, the client apparatus 501 determines which of the FAX transmitters 511 and 512 is requested to transmit data. In other words, while there is a plurality of devices that can receive transmission requests, no method is available to register an address designating a place from which data is transmitted. In the example illustrated in FIG. 27, when an address is registered in the address book 502a of the server apparatus 502, which of the addresses designating transmission from the FAX transmitter 511 and transmission from the FAX transmitter 512 is used cannot be set.
(2) When there is a plurality of client apparatus that request transmission, the following operation is required. For example, it is presumed that a client apparatus for issuing a transmission request is installed for each department in an office. Even when the client apparatus transmit images to the same FAX transmitter, the FAX transmitter may be required to distribute transfer destinations of document images based on information of a transmission source. However, no method has conventionally been available to meet such a requirement.
(3) When the FAX transmitter side clearly carries out neither transfer setting nor distribution of document images, the client apparatus that issues a transmission request may be required to appropriately select a FAX transmitter. In other words, an operation for reducing standby time as much as possible is required irrespective of which of the plurality of FAX transmitters an image is transmitted from. Conventionally, however, no method to meet such a requirement has been available.